This motorized tuner promises to tune your guitar for you—is it too good to be true? The PG Band Industries Roadie 3 review.
RatingsPros:Tons of instrument flexibility and tuning presets. Convenient built-in metronome. Cons: Not for bass. Doesn’t display note names. Street: $129 Band Industries Roadie 3 roadiemusic.com | Ease of Use:  Build/Design:  Value: |
The third incarnation of Band Industries’ “automatic instrument tuner” physically interfaces with individual tuning machines and turns them to the desired pitch via its encased motor—which has impressive torque. It reportedly supplies enough juice to tune 150 strings on a single charge, and its TFT LCD screen leads you through a large menu of instrument options (guitar, banjo, ukulele, mandolin, and virtually anything else with guitar-style tuning machines—except bass) and more than a hundred preset tunings.
The palm-sized tuner detects notes pretty quickly, both vibrates and emits an audio alert once a string is in tune, and then automatically readies itself for the next string and pitch in the chosen tuning sequence. Cool! But is it a faster, more convenient way of tuning? Not necessarily. That said, it could be a helpful piece of gear for beginners and/or players exploring alternate tunings. However, given that Roadie 3 doesn’t display the current note name—instead it displays the frequency of the current pitch, something many seasoned players don’t know in Hz, even for their favorite tunings—it can be a bit confusing to use, especially since it can struggle to attain the desired pitch if the string isn’t already within a couple of steps of the target frequency. Further, I’m not certain what to chalk this up to—perhaps tuner and/or headstock mass?—but Roadie 3 had difficulty detecting my parlor guitar’s 1st string. In sum, I wouldn’t call Roadie 3 an ideal primary tuner, but this petite, hands-off gadget with built-in extras could still be a welcome addition to your accessory collection.
Test Gear:Gibson SG, Larrivee P-1, Les Stansell tenor uke
The bass tech's new best buddy has enough torque to crank the biggest pegs in the business but is as precise as a watchmaker’s fingers.
Port Townsend, WA (February 6, 2019) -- Band Industries is proud to announce the release of the Roadie Bass Automatic Guitar Tuner.
Roadie Bass has enough torque to crank the biggest pegs in the business but is as precise as a watchmaker’s fingers. Finally, bassists will have a tool designed just for their needs. "We made Roadie Bass to be the strongest, sturdiest and most capable tuner a musician could possibly need. If an instrument has a machine head, Roadie Bass can tune it at a professional level. This is something we always dreamed of and seeing Roadie Bass in the hands of thousands of musicians around the globe will be infinitely rewarding." says CEO & co-founder Hassane Slaibi.
Alternate & custom tunings
Choose from over 40 preset alternate and open tunings. The Roadie Tuner app also gives you the ability to create your own custom tunings and temperaments.
Re-string at 40 RPM
Re-string quickly and easily with the automatic winding feature. The motor rotates at three speeds, the fastest of which is 40 RPM.
Customizable
Control & personalize your tuner using the free Roadie Tuner companion mobile app.
What is the difference between Roadie 2 & Roadie Bass?
Band Industries is confident that they have designed the strongest, sturdiest and most capable tuner yet. It is bigger, heavier & more powerful than Roadie 2. Roadie Bass also has a screen on the side rather than the top to make it easier to see with the longer bass guitar necks.
Roadie 2 can tune any instrument with a string gauge up to 75 while Roadie Bass can tune instruments with string gauge up to 140.
Roadie 2 has a frequency detection range between 43.65 Hz and 698.46 Hz, while Roadie Bass detects frequencies between 27.5 Hz and 880 Hz.
The Roadie Bass tuner carries a $149 MSRP.
Band Industries delivers worldwide. Customers get a 30-day money back guarantee as well as a 1-year warranty for all Roadies.
For more information:
Roadie Tuner